Reference Sources

All sources with "REF" before the call number are shelved in the Reference Section (library use only).

Links to electronic resources are shown in blue text.

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed. – REF ML 100 .N48 2001 vols. 1-29. The first-stop source for a broad range of musical topics, the New Grove is considered the most authoritative music encyclopedia in the English language. Covers all aspects of music including composers and musicians, compositions, music history and criticism, musical instruments, popular and non-Western music. Available online in Oxford Music Online.

Harvard Dictionary of Music – REF ML 100 .A64 2003. An authoritative dictionary for musical terminology, including entries on basic terms, styles, genres, historical periods and countries. Covers popular styles and non-Western music as well as Western Classical music.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed. – REF ML 102 P66 G84 1995 vols. 1-10. Authoritative source that provides detailed entries, with “balanced opinion,” documenting popular music from 1900 to the present day. Biographical in emphasis, but with many topics covered as well.

Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll : Revised and Updated for the 21st Century – REF ML 102 .R6 2001. An authoritative volume on the world’s music makers, from one-hit wonders to the megastars.

Popular Musicians - REF ML 105 .P66 1999, 4 vols. Biographies of popular musicians of all genres, including rock.

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990 - REF ML 102 .P66 B35 2004, 2 vols, and online in Gale Virtual Reference Library. A good source for musicians emerging or active in the 1990s.

Essential Rock Discography - REF ML 156.4 .R6 S78 2006. Extensive discography with profiles of artists. Includes most major and many minor figures.

The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential and Important Creations - EBSCO eBooks Detailed discussions of 163 pop/rock albums from the early 1960s to 2010. While not every great album in included here, the set contains an impressive selection of iconic bands and singer-songwriters working in several popular music genres.

Online database provided by DISCUS, contains biographies culled from a variety of reference works as well as articles and web sites devoted to thousands of important people from all periods. The more important rock musicians will be included.